S. Awan is an independent journalist, culture lover and student of history, navigating the depths of various aspects of culture, politics, music, film, the controversial and the weird.
Also a musician, and part-time freelance, involuntary human being. Also occasionally lives on the moon. Also is a ghost. And a cigarette butt that hasn't been put out properly; so, you know, there's still, like, smoke coming out of it and stuff...

I haven’t seen the Black Panther movie yet; but I’m looking forward to it.

T’Challa, the Black Panther, has for a long time been one of my absolute favorite comic book characters – and I’ve been glad that his mythology has been given the cinema treatment: and that it appears to be doing so well and generating so much conversation.

But, amid all of that conversation (much of which, rightly, is focused on the subject of the first entirely black superhero movie), one thing that probably won’t be discussed is the subject I’m going to cover here now: which gives me a rare opportunity to talk about both my love of comic-book mythologies and my interest in real-world geo-political conspiracies at the same time.

This isn’t an article about the film or even about the character’s history. Rather, it’s about a specific perception I have of the Black Panther mythology and how it relates to particular real-life North-African nation that I’ve written a lot about in the past – specifically Libya, and more specifically the Gaddafi-era Libya.

It’s difficult to tell – particularly for someone like me, who isn’t particularly well versed in the Zimbabwe situation.

That being said, judging by the reactions of journalists and outlets who are much better versed in Zimbabwe, no one really knows if the military intervention in Zimbabwe should be seen as a good thing or a bad thing.

Even ‘experts’ on the country seem undecided or even ambivalent; some being please Mugabe is finished, others not convinced this apparent change is going to lead to any real improvements.

What is interesting to note, however, is the explanation given for the military’s actions. Zimbabwe’s army chief, General Constantino Chiwenga, has said that Robert Mugabe‘s Zanu PF had been infiltrated by ‘counter-revolutionaries’ and that “drastic action” was needed immediately. (more…)

As reported by RT, hundreds of people took to the streets in Ghat, on Saturday night, to celebrate the release of Saif Gaddafi after several years of detention.

The footage shows honking cars driving through the streets. Other Gaddafi supporters were seen waving the green flags of the ‘Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya’, as has been seen frequently in parts of Libya since the fall of the state in 2011.

The unverified stories of Saif having been released had been going on for some time already; I covered it here last September, but noted it was odd that major media outlets weren’t covering it. Given this disparity between earlier claims, lack of media coverage at the time and the broader media coverage now, it is difficult to know whether Saif Gaddafi was freed last year or whether it has just happened in recent weeks. (more…)

TIME magazine, perhaps inevitably, named its person of the year for 2016 as Donald Trump some weeks ago.

Also on its list was, among others, Nigel Farage. In fairness to TIME, they were seeking to reflect the narrative and climate of the year: in which case, Trump, given what he is perceived to have accomplished, is a sound choice; even if the sight of a misogynist, billionaire, Goldman-Sachs/Breitbart-backed elitist on the cover, proclaimed ‘PERSON of the YEAR’ is a little unsavory. (more…)

He walked up to the podium to address the UN General Assembly.

All eyes in the chamber were on the strange, eccentric figure, whose invitation to New York had been the subject of great controversy and coverage. Staring out at all the delegations of world government, he acted out ripping up the UN Charter, calling it “worthless”.

This is an edited version of an older article, exploring the life and legacy of Malcolm X, including in relation to Martin Luther King and the two Kennedy assassinations. It is also about the 1960s as a cultural era, about his adoption of Sunni Islam and later Pan-Africanism, and about the time he almost brought the United States before an international criminal court…

The nightmare that is post-Gaddafi Libya is showing no signs of improving any time soon.

Libyans who were promised democracy and progress by NATO and the international powers that rained bombs down across the country in 2011 have in fact been given nothing of the sort.

Copyright Notice

All images and videos used on this blog (unless otherwise stated) are used on a 'Fair Use' basis. If you have any objection or complaint concerning use of an image or video, please contact me directly (using the contact form at the top of the page) and the offending item will be immediately removed. Thank you.
Also - to non-WordPress users - please, when re-posting articles from this site (either whole or in part), include a credit to The Burning Blogger of Bedlam and a link back to the source.

Meta

SUPPORT THIS BLOG

If you value independent journalism of this kind, consider supporting this blog with either a one-time or regular 'donation' (of any amount) via Paypal. With enough support, more time, energy and resources can be devoted to research and to higher quality content.